Teachers
by iWant9Lives2Live
Summary: Clary and Jace have been in a relationship for two years but their parents don't know they are together because when they got together, Jace was 16 and Clary was 22. Oh, and add on to that that Clary is his English teacher. Clace, Sizzy, Malec
1. Year One

_**The Teacher**_

_**Okay, I know that I write a lot of stories that I don't finish but I get serious writer's block so I apologize and I will try to update Mr. Wayland and Forbidden as soon as I possibly can. I am writing this hoping it will give me inspiration for Mr. Wayland. This was just going to be a really long one-shot, but I accidentally deleted more than half of it so I'm just going to rewrite it as another chapter.**_

_Summary: Clary and Jace have been in a relationship for two years but their parents don't know they are together because when they got together, Jace was 16 and Clary was 22. Oh, and add on to that that Clary is his English teacher. _

_**Two years ago…**_

_**JPOV**_

I watched as she wrote the assignment on the board. She's beautiful. Her fiery, wavy hair hangs down to her waist. She turns back to the class and her emerald green eyes are mesmerizing. All of the guys in this school have a crush on her. She's gorgeous. And she's the youngest teacher here besides Mr. Lewis who had all of the girls' attention. I barely notice that the bell rang until my sister, Isabelle slaps me on the back of the head. "Stop staring, Jace. She's going to notice and your grade in here is already starting to drop in this class."

"It's not my fault, Izzy. Miss Fray is gorgeous. Don't act like you're not the same way with Mr. Lewis. Have you told Mom and Dad that you have a D in science because you're attracted to your teacher?" I asked as I gave her my mischievous smirk hinting that if she tells Mom and Dad about my attraction to Miss Fray, I'll tell them about how she likes Mr. Lewis.

We were almost out the door when Miss Fray called, "Jace, can I talk to for a moment?" _Oh, no. She heard us talking about how I think she's gorgeous. _Izzy looked at me as if that was in fact what she wanted to talk to me about.

Once Izzy shut the door behind her, it was just me and Miss Fray. "Is something wrong, Miss Fray?"

"Your grade in here has been dropping significantly since the beginning of the year. What happened? You were doing so well."

_I'll tell you what happened. I started fantasizing about you more and more. _

"Um… uh… Shakespeare!" I blurted out. "I really don't understand the Shakespeare unit we've been studying." This, however is not true. I have Romeo & Juliet memorized word for word.

"Is it the iambic pentameter that's tripping you up? Or is it the old language?" I couldn't seem to form words so I just nodded like an idiot. "Well, which is it? Or is it both?" She laughed slightly at my silence. The beautiful sound made it even harder to focus.

"Oh… um… it's the old language. I don't understand what the characters are saying."

"Okay, well meet me in the art room after school today. We can go over the material then if that's an okay time for you?"

Not trusting my voice, I just nodded.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you then?" I just nodded again before quickly shuffling onto my next class.

Finally, it was two o'clock meaning that the school day was over. I gave Izzy the car keys so she and Alec could drive themselves home. Alec is my older brother. Izzy and I are finishing up our sophomore year while Alec is finishing up junior year. I race to the art room to see Miss Fray in front of a canvas wearing a smock. She was mixing colors on a pallet with a brush. Her hands were stained with white, black, and gold paint. I've never been in this room because I've never had art class. I walk around the room to see various paintings, sketches, and works of charcoal lining the walls. Each work of art was signed with C.F. Miss Fray is also the art teacher. I heard she was talented but I would have never guessed she was _this_ good but I'm not that surprised considering how amazing she is.

I looked over at her. She was so concentrated on her painting she didn't see me walk in. "Did you do _all_ of these?"

She whipped her head up at me in shock. "Yes, I did. With the exception of that one in the corner." I looked at it to see a work of charcoal. It was a man with spiky black hair. He was wearing leather. He didn't look much older than me. "My mother did that. It's of my father when he was in high school. Why don't you take out your notes and book while I clean up? Then we can go over the material."

I nodded and started digging through my bag for my English things. Once I was ready, she was still cleaning. I walked up to the canvas to see a golden angel. The bottom was black, the angel was dressed in white, and gold surrounded the top half and above the angel. "Do you know what that painting represents? If you can interpret art, then it won't be hard to interpret Shakespeare."

"The angel doesn't have a face, like she doesn't know who she is. It looks like she's bursting out of the darkness into a lighter time in her life. Like she went through a lot and everything is finally starting to look up for her. She's wearing white, which means innocence. So she was an innocent bystander as everything around her started to fall apart."

"Very good, Jace. It's about me when I was younger." I looked closer and saw streaks of red mixed with the gold. Her red hair.

Some of the paintings had tags hanging on them. "What do the tags on the paintings mean?"

"I have a website where I post my works. People pay for them and I either mail or deliver it to them. The ones with tags have been sold. I'm taking them down today to bring them to my car."

"Should we get started?" I asked politely as I sat by my things once more.

"Of course. Let's just translate the first scene today. After a few of these sessions, you should be able to use context to read Shakespeare." The tutoring session went by really fast considering I just read it through using modern language, blowing my cover. She lowered the book from my face and looked at me suspiciously. "Jace, you clearly know this material perfectly when you concentrate. Why have you been doing so poor lately? Is it a girl in class that has your attention?"

"Kinda," I mutter.

"Who is it? Maybe I can seat her farther in the back so you can just look forward."

"Miss Fray, I have a problem and I think I might have to transfer out of your class." She looked appalled.

I just now realized how close she was. Her amazing green eyes looked straight into my own gold ones. I quickly leaned forward and placed a soft peck on her lips. Her eyes widened once I pulled back. I gathered my stuff and was about to leave in a rush when she rested her hand against my neck and leaned in, giving me a longer kiss. My eyes bulged before I closed them and deepened the kiss.

_**CPOV**_

_Oh, my god, what am I doing? I'm making out with my student. _But I couldn't stop. I'm not going to lie; I am very attracted to Jace and I have been for a while even though I knew it was wrong. I knew I could get fired for doing this with a student. And I could get arrested for being with a minor. But here I was, standing in the middle of the art room, his hands around my waist and my arms around his neck. I was standing up on my toes considering I haven't grown since high school.

I slowly parted away from him, looking into his amber eyes. "Is this the part where you tell me this can never happen again?" he asked.

"Is that what you _want_ me to say?" He just shook his head.

"But I don't want you to lose your job either."

"Then we better be very, _very_ careful," I whispered, kissing him again. He grinned and lifted me onto the table, kissing me deeper. "Jace, I _really_ need to go home. I have some parent/teacher conferences to schedule." I went around the room and took down the canvases that had tags hanging from them. I tried carrying all five but couldn't. I guess I'll have to make two trips. I saw Jace put his backpack on and rush to my side to pick up the last one. I smiled at him gratefully.

Once we got to the car, we put the paintings in my trunk. "Do you need a ride home?" I asked him.

"Yeah, thanks," he said before getting into the car. He directed me until we got to a huge mansion.

"You live _here_?" I asked, gaping.

"Um, yeah. My dad is a Broadway producer and my mom is the best lawyer in the state."

"It's a lot bigger than my two bedroom apartment." He smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I better get going."

He was about to open the door when I said, "Wait, let me give you my number." He gave me his phone and I typed out my number as a new contact, putting my name as C.F. with a little heart ❤ next to it. I didn't put my last name in case anyone were to see it.

"So, what exactly are we?" he asked.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"Well, I mean, I've had a crush on you since September. And we kissed and I really, _really_ like you, Miss― Clary! That's gonna take some getting used to." I giggled. I _actually _giggled. He just smiled though. "I want you to be my girlfriend, Clary."

"I want that, too," I whispered. He leaned forward and planted his lips firmly on top of mine.

_**3 months later…**_

_**JPOV**_

Clary and I have now been dating for three months and tonight is the night that I'm going to tell her that I love her. This whole sneaking around thing is actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. The only person who knows about us is Mr. Lewis— or Simon as he likes me to call him outside of school. He and Clary are roommates and he caught us while I was sneaking out one night. It's not what you think. Clary and I haven't slept together. We decided to wait until after I'm eighteen so it's guaranteed that she won't get arrested. But it's okay; she's worth the wait.

We drove up a mountain, grabbed the picnic basket I packed and walked to our meadow. This is the place where we have all of our secret dates. Usually, as a dessert, I pack cupcakes that when you put them next to each other, they say: (J) (H) (+) (C) (F). Then we split the fifth cupcake. This time, the cupcakes spell out: I L-O-V-E Y-O-U. For dinner, I packed her favorite; spaghetti. We sat under the tree that had our initials carved inside a heart.

Dinner went by fast. Next thing I know, it's time for dessert. "Clare, there's something I need to tell you."

She looked nervous. "Okay?"

"It's nothing bad," I reassured her quickly. I opened the plastic container with the cupcakes. She gasped. Then a slow smile started to stretch across her face.

"I love you, too," she whispered with a large smile overcoming her face. She tackled me to the grass and crushed her lips to mine.

_**CPOV**_

I can't describe how excited I was when I saw those cupcakes. Now I really know that I'm not just wasting my time with a student. I'm in love with a student who loves me back.

_**A month after that…**_

_**JPOV**_

Right now, I'm at Clary's watching movies on her bed with her curled up in my arms. "I'll be right back. I'm just gonna make some popcorn," she said.

"Stay here. I'll make it." I walked out of the room to see Simon making out with Izzy against the front door. They didn't notice me so I just poked my head back into Clary's room. "You won't _believe _who is here right now."

With a curious look on her face, she got up from the bed and followed me into the kitchen. She gasped loudly, causing the two to spring apart. "Jace? What are you doing here?" Izzy asked me.

I glanced nervously at Clary and it clicked. "_You're _sleeping with a teacher, too?"

_**CPOV**_

"We are not sleeping together!" we both exclaim while Simon pounds his head on the door.

"Wait," I say, "Simon, you two are _sleeping_ together?"

"Umm… no?" Here's the thing about Simon. He never learned how to lie.

"Oh, my god! I can't believe you're sleeping together! You can get _arrested_."

Isabelle glared at me and cocked her head to the side with a hand on her hip. "You can get arrested, too, _Miss Fray_."

"_We_," Jace interjects, "have never slept together. We decided to wait until after I am eighteen so she won't get arrested. What's _your _excuse?"

"Tell you what; I won't tell Mom and Dad that _you're _dating Miss Fray if _you_ don't tell them I've been sleeping with Simon."

One look at his little sister, and he caved. "Deal. But only if you and Mr. Lewis stop sleeping together. I'm not going to object to you dating because then I'd be a hypocrite. But you can't have sex anymore, Izzy. _That _I won't tolerate. You're just lucky you're not having this conversation with Alec."

"Alec can't object to me having sex with him. Don't act like you don't know that he's sleeping with Mr. Bane!" _Magnus Bane, the guidance counselor?!_

"He's eighteen! He's not gonna get Mr. Bane _arrested_!"

"Our neighbors are going to think we're crazy," Simon muttered under his breath.

"Okay, I hate to interrupt, but what is it with you kids and dating authority figures?"

"Our dad was our mom's college professor," Jace said as if that explained everything. Simon and I just nodded in understanding. Jace turned back to his sister. "I'm getting you home where I can keep an eye on you. Did you drive here?" She just shook her head. "Then we're taking my bike. Let's go." Jace grabbed her―my—helmet off the table along with his own. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm going to have to cut the night short."

"It's okay. I understand. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow." I leaned up and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

"See you later, beautiful. I love you, too." He pulled his leather jacket on and checked the pocket to double check he had his keys. He kissed me once more before pulling his sister out of the apartment.

"How long have you been together?" I asked Simon once we were alone.

"A couple months after you and Jace got together."

"I can't believe you hid it from me for so long," I muttered angrily before going to bed. We've been best friends since we were eight. How could he hide something so big from me when I was in a similar situation?

_**Eight months later…**_

Jace and I forgave Simon and Isabelle about a month after we found out about them. Today is mine and Jace's one year anniversary of when we first kissed. He and Izzy are now juniors and their older brother, Alec is graduating in three months, which is good for him and Magnus. Simon and Izzy have taken our advice to no longer sleep together until after she graduates.

As luck would have it, I am once again Jace and Izzy's teacher. Only this year, I have been teaching Jace English _and_ Art. Jace's Art class was his last class of the day so after all the students besides him left, he shut the door and locked it while I picked up the abandoned paint palettes. I was washing paintbrushes in the sink when I felt Jace's strong arms wrap around my waist. "Happy anniversary, beautiful," he whispered in my ear before planting a butterfly kiss on my neck.

I grinned and turned around, snaking my arms around his neck. "I thought you forgot."

He carried me to a table and sat me on top of it. "In fact, I think _this_ is the exact spot we were standing when we first kissed."

"Hmmm," I said, feigning confusion. "You're going to have to refresh my memory." He smiled before capturing my lips with his.

"I have a special surprise for you today. Meet me in the meadow at six, okay?" I just nodded and pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

Later, I left the apartment at five thirty to head to the meadow. Once I got there at six, Jace was already there. Rose petals were all over the clearing's floor while the trees had candles hanging off the branches. In the center, there was a candlelit dinner for two with Jace stood in front of it. I walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. "This is perfect," I whispered.

_**3 months later…**_

_**APOV (because we haven't had any Malec yet…)**_

"I present to you the graduating class of 2013!" the principal announced before everyone stood up, throwing our caps into the air. _When do I get to see Magnus?_ is the only thought going through my mind.

He told me that we will still have to wait awhile to see each romantically in public, but tonight, we're coming out about our relationship to my parents. I'm just hoping they don't have a heart attack. They don't even know I'm gay. All of my siblings already know, even Max. He caught me sneaking Magnus out. When I told Jace and Izzy, they weren't surprised and told me that Jace is dating Miss Fray while Izzy has been dating Mr. Lewis. I was more concerned about Izzy. I was scared he was taking advantage of her, but then I walked in on them video chatting in her room and I could see that they both genuinely cared about each other. I wasn't surprised when Jace told me about him and Miss Fray. I knew he had a crush on her for the longest time. It was only a matter of time before he acted on his feelings. They've actually been together a few months longer than Magnus and I. Today is mine and Magnus' first anniversary.

_**A year before…**_

_I was walking into the school when I saw a new flyer posted on the bulletin board. It read, "_NEW ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING SESSIONS TODAY ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS: Bullying, Homosexuality, Suicide, and more. Contact Mr. Bane in the counseling center to schedule an appointment._" I decided to just swing by there on my way to class. I walked up to the desk and said, "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment with Mr. Bane."_

"_I'm Mr. Bane," I heard from my left. "I can schedule the appointment." I turned to look at him and saw the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on. _

"_Uh… um… hi, I'm Alexander Lightwood."_

"_Hello, Alexander. You are here for the one-on-one counseling sessions, correct?"_

"_Y-yes, I am," I stuttered. I could not feel like more of an idiot. "I-is t-today after school o-okay?"_

"_Yeah, that's fine. Just come here right after your last class and we'll talk about whatever you want then, okay?"_

_I couldn't trust my voice so I just nodded. _

_I couldn't wait for school to be over. When it finally was, I texted Jace and Izzy that I wouldn't be going home with them. I went straight to the counseling center and waited until I saw Mr. Bane. "Follow me to my office Alexander."_

_I followed him to the small office where there were two chairs set up. We sat down and he asked me, "So was there something specific you want to talk about?"_

"_Yeah, b-but I don't know w-where to st-start."_

"_Well, was there anything on the flyer that got your attention? I know it wasn't an extensive list. But we can talk about whether or not you're being bullied, if you're confused about… um… homosexual tendencies… if you've ever considered suicide… start wherever you want."_

_I just nodded and said, "I… um… wanted to talk about the… um… homosexuality thing… and the… um… suicide…"_

"_Okay, we'll start with the first thing. It might help to just say it out loud."_

_I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. "I'm gay," I said quietly. _

"_Good job. I remember when I came out to my family. It was the hardest thing I ever went through, but coming out to my family and friends was easier once I fully admitted it to myself."_

"_It's not that I don't want to come out to my family. I'm pretty sure my sister already knows. I _can't _come out to my parents. They are _very_ religious. They told us that if we break any of their 'rules' they'd disown us. When I was younger, I asked them what it meant to be gay and they said it was something that I never wanted to be and if I were to be gay, I wouldn't be able to live with them anymore. I can't come out to them until I know that I can live on my own and support myself."_

"_That actually sounds very thought out, and I'm usually against waiting to come out. But in your case, I think it may be beneficial. When do you think this will happen?"_

"_Next year, after I graduate."_

"_Great! As long as you stick to your plan, you should be fine. Now, let's talk about that other thing. How long have you been thinking of suicide?"_

_I took another deep breath as I continued to think of everything I felt was wrong with me. "I've been thinking about it ever since I found out I'm gay. So I've been thinking about it for about five years." He rested his hand comfortingly on my thigh and I suddenly couldn't think straight. "I always thought that there was just something wrong with me. Even when I tried being myself and I asked a guy out, I was rejected. I thought that I'm not good at being someone my parents want me to be and I'm not good at being myself, so why would I try to be alive?"_

"_Alexander, there is _nothing_ wrong with you," he said quietly, leaning forward a little to look me straight in the eyes. "Someday, you're going to find someone who loves you for you. And you'll love him for who he is. Your parents will eventually get over it and realize how amazing their son is. Killing yourself won't solve anything." I couldn't stop staring into those hypnotic yellow-green eyes._

"_Th-thank you, Mr. Bane. Umm…" I still couldn't look away. "I should probably go… before I do something I'll… regret…" I trailed off, noticing that his flawless face was getting closer._

"_Like what?" he whispered, just a breath away. I don't know who initiated it but next thing I know, we're kissing, heatedly. We stand up so our bodies were pressed against each other. _

"_We… shouldn't be… doing this…" I tried to say between kisses. "You could… get... arrested…"_

_He pulled away long enough to say, "We're not _sleeping together_, Alexander; worst case scenario is that I get fired," before resuming to place kisses down my neck. Once the counseling hour was up, we stopped making out. I felt him slip something in my back pocket while groping my ass at the same time. "That's my cell phone number. Call me if you want a repeat of this session," he whispered in my ear before licking it._

_**Back to his graduation…**_

Let's just say that I called him every night and we've been dating ever since. I walk out of the auditorium to see my parents talking to Magnus. I quickly hurry over to them. "Hey, Mom and Dad, what's going on?"

"We were just talking to your guidance counselor to see if it's too late for you to apply to Yale or Harvard," my mom said.

"Mom, I already told you that I'm going to NYU. I already signed up for classes and put the deposit down on the room. They have a _great _English program. Plus, it's going to be great being able to come home whenever I want."

"You could have made a great lawyer at Yale, Son," my father said. This is when Jace and Izzy decided to join us. "You two have been looking at Yale and Harvard, right?"

"Actually, Daddy, I've been thinking about NYU, too," Izzy said, probably so she can stay near Mr. Lewis. "I've been looking at their fashion program."

"And I've been think about Juilliard," Jace interjected. "It's the best music school in the country and it's close to home." _And he gets to stay with Miss Fray._

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, it seems your children have everything thought out. I know Juilliard is _great_. And I happen to know that the NYU fashion program is _fabulous_."

I tried to ignore my father's look of disgust at Magnus' flamboyant vernacular, but I couldn't. He's going to look at me like that. "We'll consider it," Mom said diplomatically. "Now, let's go home for a family celebratory dinner."


	2. Proposals

**_APOV_**

We had lasagna as my celebratory dinner—my favorite. As my family was talking, I wasn't paying attention. I just kept shaking as I remembered what I had to do after dinner. I know they are going to kick me out and I had already moved some of my things into Magnus' apartment. "Alexander, is everything all right?" my mother asked. "You've been spacing out lately." We had now finished eating and the housekeeper was taking our dishes away to the kitchen.

"Yeah, there's actually something that I need to tell you and Dad. Can we talk in the family room?" We all rise and walk into the adjoining room filled with two sofas and a recliner in front of a roaring fireplace. Before I spoke, I received a text message from Magnus, _I'm outside_. "Mom, Dad, first, I just want to say that nothing is going to change my mind about NYU. My other news is unrelated but that's just something you need to know." I paused long enough to send a quick text to Magnus telling him to ring the doorbell. "The other news is that I've seeing someone for the past year. Today is our anniversary. And… um… I need to tell you…I'm gay." My mother let out a silent gasp of shock. My father looked pissed. Then there was a knock on the door. "Izzy, can you get that?" I asked my sister.

"Is it…?" she asked, trailing off know that it was indeed my boyfriend. I nodded my head slowly.

"Mom…Dad…that's my boyfriend at the door." Tears were streaming down my mother's face.

"No," she whispered. "This can't be true." That's when Isabelle walked into the room with Magnus in tow.

Once my father's gaze landed on him, he stood up fiercely. "What is the meaning of this?! First you tell me you're a…a…_fag_." That made my heart shatter. Any hope I had was just lost. "_Now_ you're saying you've been sleeping with your _guidance counselor_?! I want you out of this house _now_, and I don't want you coming back," he said with venom in voice.

"Robert, don't you think that that's going a bit too far," Mother said, trying to remain calm.

"No, Mom, it's fine. This is exactly what I was expecting. I was planning on moving out tonight anyway."

"And where will you go?" she demanded.

I looked at Magnus shyly, silently begging for him to answer. This was no something I wanted to tell my mother without any prior notice. "For the past week, Alexander has been bringing more and more of his things to my place. Tonight he will be moving in the rest of his things."

By now, my father had stormed out of the room. "Alec, don't you think you are moving too fast? I know you can't live here with your father, but you have enough money to get your own apartment. You don't _need_ to move in with _him_." She said it with disgust. She was trying to talk it out rationally but in reality, she felt the same way as my father.

"Mom, even if Dad approved, I would be moving in with Magnus. We have been together for a _year_. I _love_ him. Nothing would ever change that." I tightened my grip on my boyfriend's hand. He let out a small gasp and I loosened my grip, assuming that I had been hurting him. "You may want to talk about this rationally, but you're thinking the same exact thing of me as Dad. Right now, it is _killing_ you to be in the same room with me." Another tear flowed down her cheek. I pulled Magnus up to my room, leaving my mother and siblings in shock. What happened was definitely more than what Max should have heard. Once I closed my bedroom door behind us, I collapsed in Magnus' arms, tears flowing freely.

"It's okay, Love. I'm here," he whispered.

Eventually, as my tears dried, I looked up at my boyfriend whose hand had been combing through my dark locks. "I love you, Mags," I said quietly.

"I love you, too, Darling." He pressed a strong, deep kiss on my mouth before pulling away.

"You have no idea how lucky I am to have you here." I pecked his lips once more before packing up the rest of my clothes hanging in my closet. Magnus has a huge walk-in closet in his loft. He even got rid of ¼ of the clothes in his closet to make room for my things which was a big deal for him. Luckily, I don't have nearly as many wardrobe options as him so I don't take up a lot of his space. He's just glad he still has room to add new clothes to the closet.

We walked out my house and on the way to the door, I hugged and kissed each of my siblings, telling them to stay in contact with me as much as possible. I left my house in my car, following behind Magnus on the way to his apartment.

**_Nine months later…(Day before Jace and Clary's 2_****_nd_****_ anniversary)_**

**_JPOV_**

Tomorrow is mine and Clary's second anniversary. I was going to wait until after I graduate to propose to her, but I don't think I can wait any longer. I had a beautiful white gold ring with an emerald that I designed at the jeweler's. On each side of the emerald stone that matched her eyes was a small diamond. Izzy helped me design it. On the inside of the band, there was an engraving that said, "My Clare, My Love." Whenever we say goodbye for the night I always say to her, "Goodnight my Clare, my love." She beams brightly at me every time I say it. I sat on my bed and opened up the velvet box. I hope she likes it. I used the money on my emergency credit card to pay the $4,500 for the ring. I'm going to pay it back once I get a job. I'm just scared that maybe this relationship doesn't mean as much to Clary as it does to me. After all, I'm just her student. We can even have a long engagement if she wants. I just want the promise that we have a future. And if she wants to get married over the summer, then that's just a bonus. "Jace! Can you come down here for a second?" I heard my mother call from downstairs. It's no secret that Izzy and I hold some sort of resentment towards our parents for what they did to Alec.

Usually, if we weren't at home, we were at Clary's and Simon's, school, or at Magnus and Alec's place. Alec just looks so happy there, where he's free to be himself.

I get up from my bed, shutting the small ring box and pocketing it before going downstairs to see what my parents wanted. Uh oh, they look serious. "Jace, please sit down." I sat down on the couch cautiously. Just seeing Robert standing there was enough to make me want to confess to every wrong doing I ever did my whole life. "Jace, the bank just called," Maryse started. "They said there has been unusual activity on your credit card. At first, they thought someone had tried to steal you identity. But who would want to steal the identity of an eighteen year old boy whose only source of income is his parents?" Maryse was asking questions like she already knew the answers.

Robert decided to jump in now. "They said that you spent $4,500 at a jewelry store. Is this true?" Damn, I was hoping I would be able to hide it from them longer than a week at least but no, I bought this ring three days ago.

"Yes," I said quietly.

"What the _hell_ did you buy, Jace? That money is supposed to be for _emergencies_!"

"I know, and once I get a job, I'll start paying you back immediately, I promise!"

"You didn't answer your mother's question," Robert said in an eerily calm voice that frightened me. "The first time _I _had spent that much at a jewelry store, I had bought your mother's engagement ring." I must have gone very pale because they both suddenly stop dead in their tracks.

"You bought an engagement ring," Maryse said. It wasn't a question. "We didn't even know you were _seeing someone_. How long have you been together?"

"Tomorrow will make it two years," I said, almost at a whisper.

"Two _years_?!" they exclaimed in unison. I could see Isabelle peeking her head out from the stairway to see what was going on. "I want to see this ring," Maryse said. I reluctantly reached my hand into my pocket and placed the velvet box on the coffee table. She snatched it up and popped the box open. She gasped. I just hope she doesn't see the inscription. "It's beautiful. You must really love her."

"_Maryse_," Robert hissed. "We cannot _condone_ this."

"I don't, but look, he even got it engraved. Who's Clare?" _Oh, crap. _

"She's from my Art and English classes. We met a couple years ago. I had a crush on her and I pretended to not understand Shakespeare so she would tutor me. During the tutoring session, she knew immediately that I was pretending to not understand. She asked why I would need tutoring, so I told her I liked her and we've been together ever since." I was impressed with myself that I didn't say a single lie, but it didn't sound like I was talking about a teacher at all. "I didn't introduce you because she gets nervous and shy easily. I would mention meeting you guys and she would back out." Okay, that was kind of a lie. Yes, she was a shy and nervous person, but that wasn't why she wouldn't meet my parents. I know my parents would report her. They would have reported Magnus if him and Alec hadn't waited until he was no longer a student to announce their relationship.

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Tomorrow. During school hours. I have a plan, but she's probably going to tell me to ask again after graduation."

"Why are you asking tomorrow if you know there's a good chance she'll ask you to wait?" Maryse asked.

"I want her to know I'm ready to make that commitment. She can hold onto the ring until she feels comfortable being considered my fiancée. Once I see that she has the ring on her finger, I'll know that she's just as ready as me. It's all up to her. I'm not going to pressure her into marrying me."

"Fine, we can't stop you from doing this; you're eighteen. And we don't want to lose you like we lost Alec," Maryse said gently.

"We didn't _lose _Alexander. _He _lost _us_ when he chose that male guidance counselor over family," Robert declared with disgust.

"He didn't _choose_ Magnus. I didn't _choose _Clar—Clare," I said, almost saying her real name—Clary—which I'm sure they would recognize from parent-teacher conferences. "You don't _choose_ who you fall in love with. It just _happens_." I quickly grabbed at the box and snapped it shut, putting it back into my pocket. I storm up to my room, pulling Izzy behind me on my way up. "How much did you hear?" I asked once we were alone.

"Everything after Mom finding out it was an engagement ring. So enough about our annoying, close-minded parents. How are you going to ask her?" she asked eagerly, bouncing on her heels.

"Well, we have this thing in English where I put a sticky note in between the pages of an assignment with a cute little thing telling her how much I love her. At the end of class when she passes back the assignments, she puts a sticky note where mine was telling me that she loves me too. So, tomorrow, I am going to hand in my assignment in this folder so I don't lose the ring. In between the pages, I am going to put a note that says, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you, my Clare, my love.' Under the note, I am going to tape the ring there. Then, when she passes back the assignments. There will be a sticky note with my answer on it."

Izzy squealed in my ear. "That is _so _cute. I bet she is gonna say yes. Clary loves you more than life itself." I took my assignment out. It was a deep analysis of _Catcher in the Rye_. I slipped the stapled papers out of the folder and opened it up to the second page. I took the ring and broke off a piece of tape, sticking the ring to the paper, making sure it was really stuck on there. I wrote as neatly as I could on a sticky note and stuck it to the paper, hiding the ring. I closed the assignment and slipped it into my folder, putting it directly into my backpack so I wouldn't forget it tomorrow. Izzy was still beaming at me. "I am so _happy _for you." She was on the verge of tears. I rolled my eyes but hugged my emotional sister nonetheless.

**_The next day…_**

I placed the assignment/proposal on her desk confidently before going to my seat. There's no turning back now. Clary told the class to start reading the final book of our high school careers. She decided to choose a "fun book" so we are reading _The Wizard of Oz_. She sat at her desk grading papers. I glanced up from my book to see her smile at the folder in front of her. She must have just read that it was mine from the cover page. She turned the page and I watched as her eyes watered. She lifted her hand to her mouth.

"Miss Fray, are you okay?" Sebastian asked her. I hate that guy. All year, he had been telling me that after we graduate, he was going to "bang Miss Fray." I just wanted to punch him in the face. Every time Clary drops something and bends over, he is checking out her ass. I tell Clary when I go to her apartment at the end of the day and she admits that Sebastian always gave her the creeps but she wasn't really allowed to say that about students.

"Um, yeah," she finally answers to Sebastian. "My eyes are just watering from allergies, you know, with the start of springtime, and everything…"

She took the sticky note off the paper, but I didn't see if she took the ring. She replaced the sticky not and slipped the assignment back into the folder. She stood up and passed back the assignments. She wasn't wearing the ring. Once she handed me my folder, Izzy leaned over my shoulder to look at the paper. There was a note that said, "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I will put the ring on my finger when I am 100% sure that we are going to last forever. You know me; I need to think everything out logically. I love you, Jace Lightwood. This isn't a 'no'. It's a very strong maybe." I grinned when I didn't see the ring. She took it. I saw that on the back, there another note. "PS, meet me at the meadow at six tonight. Love you. Happy Anniversary." I was smiling simply over the fact that she said "I love you" three times in one note. We smiled at each other across the room. Izzy said gleefully in my ear, "It's not a no!" I smiled at my sister's antics before she followed the rest of the class out the door. She shut the door with purpose behind her, leaving just Clary and I alone.

"So…" I said, approaching the desk. "It's a maybe?"

"A very _strong_ maybe," she corrected. "My answer is really 95% yes and 5% maybe. But no way am I thinking _no_." She took off the plain chain she always wore around her neck and slipped the ring on it. "The day you see this ring on my finger is the day we are officially engaged." I kissed her gently on the lips. "Before I forget, I have a parent-teacher conference with your parents so that shouldn't be awkward at all," she said, her voice hick with sarcasm. "And _don't forget_. Meadow. Six o'clock."

"I would _never _forget. Happy anniversary, beautiful. I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered against my lips before giving me a deep, powerful kiss. "Now, get out of here before your parents get here." I chuckled, pecked her lips and fled from the classroom.

_**I was going to write more but I decided to just leave it hanging a bit there because I'm evil like that :) I am going to try my hardest to update my other stories soon. Please don't hate me but please check out the Heavenly Fire contest I am hosting :) Review please :)**_


	3. Parents

**_CPOV_**

I still can't believe he proposed. I love him more than anything in the world. Sometimes, I can't believe he loves me so much. Now, he's telling me he wants to spend the rest of his life with me. I can't wait. I'm ready to say yes _now_, but I kinda wanna make him sweat a bit first so he knows that he's not going to have any doubts. We had already decided to wait on sex until after he graduates which makes this anniversary extra special. He's already eighteen and I want him to be surprised which is why, when I go to the meadow, I'm going to surprise him with a nice dinner and when we get back to the apartment, I plan on it just happening. Now that I think about it, I probably won't be home until 5:30 and I won't have enough time to change, prepare the food and set up a romantic setting at the meadow. I sent Jace a quick text telling him to just be at my apartment at five.

About ten minutes after Jace left, his parents showed up. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood. I am Miss Fray, but please, call me Clary."

"Please, call us Maryse and Robert. Are we going to talk about Isabelle _and _Jace today?"

"Yes, considering they are both graduating at the same time. This conference is just a formality for all graduating seniors. Please, take a seat." They sit in students' desks while I sat in my own chair. "Jace and Isabelle are both very bright students whom I think will really excel in college. One of the bonuses of being a younger teacher is that the students really feel like they can confide in me—which I encourage—like a guidance counselor." I see Robert's face scrunch in disgust at the words "guidance counselor." I know what happened with Alec and Magnus. I feel bad for him that he can't be himself with his family. "Jace and Isabelle both feel like they can confide in me." Obviously, I don't mention that this is because Jace is my soon-to-be fiancé and Izzy is my soon-to-be sister-in-law. "They mentioned that you had high hopes for Harvard or Yale?"

"Yes, actually, we were wondering if it's too late for them to apply," Maryse wondered.

"You want them to apply _again_?" Jace had told me that he was accepted to both Yale and Harvard while Izzy was accepted to Harvard.

"What do you mean, '_again_'?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry, I just assumed they told you. They both applied to Yale and Harvard. Jace got into both and Izzy got into Harvard. They told me that you were upset with Alexander when he didn't apply. They figured that if they applied, you would be satisfied. I think they just assumed they would get rejected. They also told me they denied both schools. They sent in letters explaining that the schools don't offer the kinds of programs they want to go into. They are both dead set on NYU which is a _fantastic _school. Izzy is double majoring in Fashion and Journalism. Jace is doubling English and Theater."

"We don't _want _them going there," Robert said sternly. "What do we do?"

"You let them make their own choices. If you think they're making a mistake, then _let them _make that mistake."

"Do you have children, Clary?" Maryse asked.

"No, ma'am, I don't. I'm only twenty-four."

"Then, you really can't understand why we're doing this."

"I haven't spoken to my mother or step-father in five years. They wanted me to be a doctor. I was in the pre-med program at Harvard for a year before I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I moved back to New York and got all my teaching credentials from NYU. I just finished my Master's online. My brother only visits once a year because he's scared of getting in between me and my parents. I don't want to see this happen to your family. Think about Max. How is he going to feel when he never sees his siblings because they start to resent you? He already never sees Alec."

"How do you know about Max?" Robert asked suspiciously. _Oh, crap._

"I told you; students like to share a lot with me." _Nice cover. _"All I'm trying to say is that you lost one son because he didn't follow the path you laid out for him. Don't lose Jace and Izzy, too."

"Thank you, Clary. We will take what you said under consideration but right now, we are concerned about their standings in your class."

"Well, both of them have been doing extremely well. I have been tutoring Isabelle on some of her essays and ever since the tutoring sessions, she has been a straight A student. Jace has always gotten straight A's in my classes, ever since I started tutoring him in Shakespeare a couple years ago." A strange look passed over Maryse's face. "And they both get straight A's in my Art classes which they need to take theater and fashion classes. This conference was just a formality. I reviewed all their grades with them and helped them with their personal essays. They really are on the right track and I truly believe that they both have bright futures ahead of them." They both nodded in understanding, still trying to mull over the fact that their dreams of their children going to an Ivy League school were over. I look at the clock to see that it's four o'clock. "Oh wow, that time just flew by! I have an anniversary dinner to make. Before we close this conference, do you have any questions or concerns about Jace and Isabelle?"

"Actually," Maryse started. "I have a question about something a bit more personal than Jace's grades. He's been keeping secrets from us for _two years_. We just found out that all this time, he's had a girlfriend." I froze.

"I'm sorry, but why are you bringing this up to _me_?" I asked.

Robert finally spoke up. "He said this girl is in his Art and English classes. We just want to know if you've seen him getting close to another student. He bought an _engagement ring_."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not in tune with the gossip and Jace never mentioned any other students when I tutor him. I never see him speak to other students aside from Isabelle, so I'm sorry, but there's nothing to tell you."

"Well, thank you anyway, Clary. It was lovely meeting you," Maryse said.

"You as well," I said, shaking both of their hands.

"Lovely ring by the way," Maryse said, looking at the chain around my neck. _Oh, crap. _"Was it an anniversary present?" _Did they ever _see_ the engagement Jace bought? Because if they did, we're dead._

"Yes, as a matter of fact it was." We all left at the same time. As we were all walking out the front door, I said to them, "Don't forget to sign out of the building."

I hurried to my car and raced to my building. I couldn't wait to see Jace tonight. I opened the door to my apartment to see Jace putting dishes in the dishwasher. Simon was scrubbing a pot. "Did you already eat?" I asked my boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but Simon was cooking and it smelled _so good_, and I was _starving_."

I giggled at him. He is the only guy that has ever made me _giggle_. "You're so cute when you feel guilty." He rolled his eyes at me, but smiled nonetheless, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I am not cute. I'm sexy." I laughed, leaning up to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"There are leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry," Simon interjected. "I'm leaving now to meet up with Izzy. Happy anniversary, guys." He shook Jace's hand and pecked me on the cheek before leaving.

"Are you hungry? I can heat up some of that spaghetti."

"No, I'm not hungry. Come with me." I took his hand and led him to my bedroom. "I love you, Jace. And I was thinking… We may not be 100% ready to take the engagement step, but I know I'm ready to do _this _with you and I want to know if you're ready too."

"Clary, I've been ready for a long time. I love you more than anything." I smiled and brought his head down to meet my lips. He deepened the kiss, lifting me up and placing me on the bed with him hovering over me, our lips never leaving the others.

An hour later, I was laying on the bed with the covers shielding my naked body. Jace was lightly combing his fingers through my hair, my head resting on his bare chest. "That was everything I wanted my first time to be. I love you my Clare."

"I love you, too, Jace," I said, planting a kiss on his chest. "Why don't you start the hot water and I'll be in there in a little bit?"

"Perfect," he said with a smile. I couldn't stop smiling after everything that happened. He pulled on his boxers and left for the bathroom. I pulled on a pair of panties and slipped my arms through Jace's shirt, buttoning it up. Once he closed the bathroom door, I unhooked my chain and slid the beautiful ring off it. I put it on my left ring finger. It's perfect. I want to marry him. This is going to happen. I put my chain back around my neck when there was a knock at the door.

**_Okay, so a lot of people guessed right about them recognizing the ring. I loved that I got 9 reviews for my last chapter. Sorry this chapter wasn't as long. I wanted to leave a cliffhanger. Please review this chapter as well _****_J_********_and please check out my City of Heavenly Fire Challenge. _**

**_~Sara_**


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